Our first experience with Ciambelle Cookies or Italian Wine Cookies was at a little restaurant in Rome. As we finished our meal, the waitress refilled our wine glasses with red wine and placed these little plump cookies on our table, telling us to dip them in the wine. I was unprepared for the explosion of…

If fudgy, chocolate cookies are your thing, then you’re going to love Day 8 of the Simply Sophisticated Cooking’s 13-Day Holiday Challenge homemade food gifts. It’s all about Dark Chocolate, Orange and Almond Cookies. The texture of these cookies is like a mixture of fudge and brownie infused with orange and almond flavor. And they are…

Give the gift of yummy bread this holiday. Day 7 of Simply Sophisticated Cooking’s 13-Day Holiday Challenge is Homemade Wheat BreadSticks with Garlic Butter. They taste similar to the Olive Garden BreadSticks. Top with a little garlic butter and they taste similar to the Olive Garden BreadSticks. Only better since they are easy to make…

Traditionally, Mexican and Latin women gather over the holiday seasons and make tamales. The tradition has carried over in the West and SouthWest USA, including Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. Share this wonderful tradition with all your friends and family by giving a DIY tamale and enchilada sauce gift kit. It’s the Day 6 Simple Sophisticated Cooking’s 13-Day…

Chocolate pancakes! What a great way to wake up on Christmas morning. Pancakes just make mornings happier. Especially when you top them with real maple syrup or a cranberry and mint topping or whatever your favorite topping is. Day 5 of the Simply Sophisticated Cooking 13-Day Holiday Challenge is a chocolate pancake gift bag. Turning the…

It’s time for tacos and tortillas! I’m so excited because I LOVE tacos. And getting a gift bag of ingredients for making homemade tacos and tortillas is so exciting. And really, who doesn’t love tacos? Day 4 of the Simply Sophisticated 13-Day Holiday Challenge includes recipes and mixes for taco seasoning mix and homemade corn…

Day 3 of the Simply Sophisticated Cooking 13-Day Holiday Challenge is the only non-eating food gift that I included. Although all the ingredients are completely edible and yummy to use. My Holiday Simmer Potpourri will have your home (or those you give it to) smelling fantastic throughout the holiday season. Not only does this potpourri…

It’s Day 2 of the Simply Sophisticated Cooking 13-Day Holiday Challenge. Our DIY food kit for Day 2 is a holiday inspired Chocolate and Cranberry Biscotti. While most of us in the US associate biscotti with the double baked hard cookie that we dip into coffee or drinks, biscotti is actually the Italian word for…

“It’s the holiday season.” LOL, I can’t get that song out of my head. Maybe it’s because today is Day 1 of the second annual Simply Sophisticated Cooking’s 13-Day Holiday Challenge. This is the second year that I’m challenging myself to 13 Days of back to back posts. Last season was cookies, this season is…

I love leftover Thanksgiving turkey. In fact, I always buy a bigger turkey than we need so that we have plenty of leftovers. I love thick slices of turkey breast on white store-bought sliced bread with mayo. I know it’s horrible. But it’s comfort food from growing up that I just haven’t lost the taste for.…

Ciao! I'm Heidi Medina, your personal chef for cooking up fresh, tasty recipes. Since 2012, I have been the writer, creator, food photographer and recipe creator for Simply Sophisticated Cooking.
I am also a versatile freelance writer from the United States who specializes in food and drink, recipes, food photography, multicultural cuisine, healthy eating and travel.
I believe eating, drinking, loving, laughing and living well are essential ingredients for a good life. Good food feeds the soul.